A Sobering Look at Why I am Barely a Partying Sports Parent by Meagan Frank, Choosing to Grow: For the Sport of It - Thoughts on the abundance of alcohol being openly consumed by parents on some youth sports trips. I've been there. These trips can be like mini-vacations for the parents, and therefore an excuse to party. Great post. It took guts to write this.
Do You Have the Necessary Coaching Skills? by Jack Perconte, Baseball Coaching Tips - Time for a little self evaluation. Not everyone should be coaching young athletes.
Encourage Your Child to Participate in Multiple Sports by Jeffrey Rhoads, Inside Youth Sports - The benefits of playing more than just your primary sport. I would add - just don't try to do everything in one season. Some kids are spread too thin.
On kids playing multiple sports: That is one more thing I love about Little League. While there is an option to play fall ball, there is no pressure to commit to one sport year-round. This is a sharp contrast to club soccer, for example, where my kids were *strongly* encouraged to play 10-12 months per year (indoor soccer is available in winter) from the time they were 9 years old.
ReplyDeleteThe evidence is clear--kids' medical, mental and social development are all enhanced by playing multiple sports. But the pressure to focus on one activity can be overwhelming. ("You don't want your child to fall behind, do you...? We'd hate to have to cut her from the team.")
Even a child who thinks s/he wants to play only one sport from an early age may burn out after a few years if allowed to pursue that passion exclusively. You wouldn't let your 10-year-old choose to eat nothing but chocolate; why let him decide to only play one sport?
I have used the chocolate analogy myself. Parents say: "Oh, but he just loves baseball so much, he can't get enough of it. That's why he plays year round, or on two teams in the same season." We'll, he loves a lot of things - chocolate, pizza, ice cream. You're the parent and should be the one to decide how much is too much. Obviously I love baseball, but I don't like burnout or overuse injuries
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